Monkeybone

PG-13

Released Feb 23, 2001

1 hr. 32 min.

Comedy

List

20%

114 Reviews

Tomatometer

27%

25,000+ Ratings

Audience Score

Slipping into a coma following a freakish accident, cartoonist Stu Miley (Brendan Fraser) finds himself in an incredible fantasy world known as Down Town. To return to reality, Stu has to outwit Death, herself (Whoopi Goldberg)... but one of the cartoonist's own creations, Monkeybone, has come to life and is manically intent on destroying Stu's plans to resume his life.

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Critics Consensus

Though original and full of bizarre visuals, Monkeybone is too shapeless a movie, with unengaging characters and random situations that fail to build up laughs.

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Liam D

This movie is so bizarre and OTT but it’s wildly creative, sometimes funny (both unintentional and intentional) and the cast it giving it’s all

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

04/20/24

Full Review

Rich S

If films are rated based on the quality of the film divided by the quality of the cast, Monkeybone would have to end up in the bottom 10 of all movies ever made. Right now, I can't even think of another film that's comparable.

Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars

01/08/24

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Charlo F

This movie is crazy and F*ckin' trash! I can't believe Brendan Fraser act in this garbage!

Rated 1.5 out of 5 stars

08/04/23

Full Review

george d

monkeybone so #relatable

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

06/29/23

Full Review

Corriethosaurus

This movie had a lot of elements I enjoyed. I liked the mixed media and I liked some of nightmarish visuals in some of the scenes. I like the way MonkeyBone himself was animated; I believe choosing stop motion/practical effects over CGI when animating most of the characters made it stand the test of time much better. And overall, I really, REALLY like the potential of the premise. If you had given this plot to a different director, say someone like Tim Burton, I think this would've been an absolute knock-out. But by the end of the film my only thought was..... what the hell? It was very unfocused, and weird in a way that was distracting. How do I explain this... in a film like Alice in Wonderland, let's say, everything is weird and nonsensical, but the world itself still feels solid and the characters you meet feel like they all belong in the topsy-turvy setting. In this film everything was all over the place in terms of design. The movie also felt weirdly paced with so much happening in such a short period of time, I almost can't tell if the movie felt too long or too fast to catch up with. I do think this film had potential, and I was excited to see it. I had high expectations but they fell flat on their head. Under different direction I think this movie would have been very good, one of my favorites even.

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

02/14/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Henry's and his funny imagination character style.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

02/06/23

Full Review

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Henry Selick

Director

Brendan Fraser

Stu Miley

Bridget Fonda

Julie McElroy

Rose McGowan

Kitty

Whoopi Goldberg

Death

Chris Kattan

Organ Donor Stu

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Bob Thomas

Associated Press

It is a puzzling melange of live action and cartoon, real life and fantasy that is almost stupefyingly incoherent.

Jan 17, 2018

Full Review

Lisa Alspector

Chicago Reader

You can almost see money dripping off the walls of the sets and cybersets in this special-effects extravaganza.

Apr 26, 2007

Full Review

Derek Adams

Time Out

The design is often brilliant, although the film is nowhere near as tasteless or funny as it ought to be.

Jun 24, 2006

Full Review

Cory Woodroof

615 Film

It’s a lot of fun, even though it’s so damn weird at times I’m glad I didn’t see this as a kid so it wouldn’t give me uncontrollable nightmares. Brendan Fraser gives a delightful performance in the kind of role only he could really pull off.

Nov 10, 2022

Full Review

Kathi Maio

The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction

Monkeybone doesn't make a lot of sense, and, worse, makes little creative use of the contrast between animation and action.

Feb 26, 2020

Full Review

Scott G. Mignola

Common Sense Media

Starts out bad and gets progressively worse.

Rated: 1/5

Jan 2, 2011

Full Review

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Synopsis

Slipping into a coma following a freakish accident, cartoonist Stu Miley (Brendan Fraser) finds himself in an incredible fantasy world known as Down Town. To return to reality, Stu has to outwit Death, herself (Whoopi Goldberg)... but one of the cartoonist's own creations, Monkeybone, has come to life and is manically intent on destroying Stu's plans to resume his life.

Director: Henry Selick
Executive Producer: Chris Columbus, Lata Ryan, Henry Selick, Sam Hamm
Screenwriter: Sam Hamm, Kaja Blackley
Distributor: 20th Century Fox
Production Co: 1492 Pictures, Twitching Image Studio, Twentieth Century Fox
Rating: PG-13 (Some Nudity|Crude Humor)
Genre: Comedy
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Feb 23, 2001, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Mar 1, 2013
Box Office (Gross USA): $5.4M
Sound Mix: Surround, Dolby Digital, Dolby A, Dolby SR
Aspect Ratio: Flat (1.85:1)

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